ILULISSAT TOURIST NATURE
Ilulissat Tourist Nature arranges overnight accommodation in Ilulissat, Ilimanaq and Ataa as well as boat trips to the world-famous Ilulissat icefjord, small settlements and calving glaciers. There are dog sled rides in the winter.
See the wide range of experiences below.
Dog sledding
Ilulissat Tourist Nature takes visitors on a variety of different tours in the Ilulissat area.
You can go on a 2-hour trip or join a trip lasting several days which means spending several nights sleeping in a world of snow. The local driver knows the area well – including all the really spectacular places.
Travelling in the way Greenlanders have been doing for centuries is a unique experience. Despite the increased use of snowmobiles, dog sledding is still the safest means of transport when temperatures in winter drop to below minus 25 degrees.
ILULISSAT TOURIST NATURE
Kussangajannguaq 5
3952 Ilulissat
Phone: (+299) 94 44 20
E-mail: booking@itn.gl
Hiking
Get your boots on and join a guided historical tour which will take you all around Ilulissat. You can ask about anything from life in modern Greenland to the first settlements.
As you hike through the area around Ilulissat, your guide will be only too pleased to answer all manner of questions. You will hear how different Inuit fishing and hunting communities settled in the area almost 4,000 years ago.
The tour starts at the old heliport and will take you past places offering stunning views of the icefjord. The tour lasts for three hours and can be arranged for parties comprising any number of people up to 12.
Kayaking
Experienced staff in Ilulissat and Ataa know the area well and will organise a trip for you on the crystal clear waters of Lake Tasersuaq.
Lake Tasersuaq is 10 kilometres long, 3 kilometres wide and up to 96 metres deep. It makes an ideal and exciting spot for kayaking. Skilled and experienced staff in Ilulissat and Ataa will help you organise a trip out onto the crystal-clear waters of the lake.
You can also head out to sea to explore the icebergs and marvel at the beauty of their colours and shapes. Take along a tent and supplies, go ashore on an uninhabited island and spend the night under the open sky.
The kayak is a Greenlandic invention, and even today it is a permanent and indispensable part of everyday life. The kayak can be used both for fishing and relaxing boat trips when the working day is over.
Inuit culture
The local population still keep the old Inuit culture alive. Meet a Greenlandic family, fisherman or hunter and listen to them recount some old Greenlandic myths and legends.
Ilulissat Tourist Nature works with local families in Ilulissat who welcome visitors into their homes for a kaffemik – the traditional Greenlandic social event where the people eat, drink and socialise in a casual setting.
Come inside a Greenlandic home, take a closer look at the beautiful national costume and find out more about everyday life in the far north. The families will be only too pleased to answer your questions and will probably be curious to find out something about you too.
You can also try feeding the dogs when they come home after a hard day of sledding. There are up to 4,000 dogs in Ilulissat, and an hour spent with a local fisherman will give you a unique insight into fishing traditions and the many subtleties of dog sledding.
Guided sightseeing
On a guided tour of Ilulissat you will learn about the history of the town and its buildings.
The trip starts in the old town and you will get to see old buildings dating back to the time when the Danes settled the area. A delicious dinner featuring Greenlandic specialities at one of the town’s restaurants can be arranged to round off the trip perfectly.
Other guided tours will take you to interesting places that have a wealth of wonderful stories relating to Greenland’s culture and history. You will hear, for example, about the various Inuit fishing and hunting communities who settled in the area 4,000 years ago.
Hiking tours are planned along routes that can be handled by most people.
Getting to know the locals
Ilulissat Tourist Nature works with local families in Ilulissat who welcome visitors into their homes for a kaffemik – the traditional Greenlandic social event where the people eat, drink and socialise in a casual setting.
Step inside a Greenlandic home, take a closer look at the beautiful national costume and find out more about everyday life in the far north. The families will be only too pleased to answer your questions and will probably be curious to find out something about you too.
You can also try feeding the dogs when they come back after a hard day of sledding. There are up to 4,000 dogs in Ilulissat, and an hour spent with a local fisherman will give you a unique insight into fishing traditions and the many subtleties of dog sledding.
Souvenir shopping
Ilulissat Tourist Nature has its own shop with all kinds of souvenirs to remind you of your experiences in Greenland. The shop is a short walk from the museum and the harbour.
The atmosphere is cosy and friendly, and you will find everything from post cards, pictures and clothes to seal, lamb and reindeer skin.
The shop has a variety of crafts such as the well-known and popular tupilaks which were once used to bring woe and misery on the owner’s enemies.
Now the tupilaks are usually made of wood, narwhal tusk, reindeer antlers or bones – and, of course, they will not bring any harm to anyone. The products in the shop are all made using traditional methods and techniques.
A souvenir is a special memory of your adventures in Greenland.
Take a boat trip
Ilulissat Tourist Nature offers a large selection of boat trips in Disko Bay. The old-fashioned red cutters and their experienced skippers have been plying local waters for years.
You can see beautiful pictures of the various trips on the company’s website. Disko Bay is one of the most fascinating areas in the whole of Greenland.
For thousands of years, the area has provided food for the Inuits, and today it is one of the most populated areas in Greenland. Go whale watching, fishing or visit the icefjord.
You can also head off on other trips and stay overnight in other towns and settlements before you head back to Ilulissat.
Ilulissat Icefjord
Go on a 2-3 hour cruise among the mighty icebergs in the icefjord south of Ilulissat. The glacier moves about 30 metres a day and produces about 20 billion tons of ice every year!
The icebergs float from the icefjord out into the open sea before they begin their journey northwards, later becoming part of the Atlantic Ocean.
The icefjord is on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. It is a natural environment like no other. These mighty icebergs are by nature unique and no two are alike.
Icebergs
Ilulissat Tourist Nature offers a large selection of boat trips in the Disko Bay area. The old-fashioned red cutters and their experienced skippers have been plying the iceberg-strewn waters for many years.
Experience the shapes, colours, dimensions and sheer scale of the icebergs. They rise majestically over the boat like towering buildings. No two icebergs are alike.
Ilulissat Tourist Nature organises tours to the icefjord twice a day throughout the year. The price includes transport from the place you are staying in Ilulissat to the harbour.
The ice cap
Ilulissat Tourist Nature offers sea and land-based tours that bring you right up close to the amazing ice cap. You will quickly feel very, very small compared to the vast expanse of ice which stretches as far as the eye can see.
The ice cap, which covers 85 % of Greenland, is an immense sheet of ice and its appearance is both terrifying and breathtaking. Its beauty is difficult to capture in pictures and words.
Whale watching
In the summer months you will see people out looking for different species of whale in the colder waters off Disko Island. Take the opportunity to go whale watching with Ilulissat Tourist Nature.
It is very likely that you will see these enormous mammals swimming around and frolicking in the waves. Sometimes they come up the surface to suck in air. As the whale breathes you will see the air shooting upwards before the whale slowly disappears beneath the waves.
The humpback and the fin are the most common species of whale you will see. However, it is not all that rare for a Greenland whale to make an appearance. You might also see some seals in the water.
These lively creatures can be found anywhere in Greenlandic waters and along the coasts.
Wildlife
Greenland has a rich variety of wildlife. As soon as you get away from the towns and settlements, there is every chance that you will see wild animals at close quarters – including birds, whales and seals.
Ilulissat Tourist Nature can, for example, take you hiking in the area or whale watching on board one of the old red cutters. Seals live all along the Greenland coastline. Up to 20 different species of whale frolic in the open waters.
If you go dog sledding you will be able to see some of the huge birds of prey that inhabit the country. In the summer months you can see even more species of bird that migrate to Greenland at this time of the year.
The staff at Ilulissat Tourist Nature have many years of experience with local flora and fauna and will be only too pleased to offer you advice and guidance.
Tourist flights
Take a helicopter ride with Ilulissat Tourist Nature and see the glacier from up high. The glacier (or Sermeq Kujalleq as it is called in Greenlandic) is 10 kilometres wide and very productive, producing about 10 % of all Greenland’s icebergs.
It is also the fastest-moving glacier in the northern hemisphere covering 38 metres a day. The helicopter lands on the glacier at the end of Ilulissat icefjord.
River fishing
Over the summer months Ilulissat Tourist Nature offers wonderful opportunities to anglers who have their fishing gear with them.
Trout swim up the rivers in July and August and are usually fished in estuaries or where rivers and lakes meet. Trout can be fished with spinners directly from the coast. You can also go fly fishing.
Ilulissat Tourist Service knows the best fishing spots and can always offer advice and guidance.
Sea fishing
Ilulissat Tourist Nature offers sea fishing and the chance to catch redfish and catfish. In June the company runs trips to the coast which is invaded by capelins every year.
Capelin is a little fish which is about the size of a cross between a sardine and a herring. It is rich in proteins and has always been an important food source for Greenlanders.
The fish is dried, fried, marinated and then ready to eat. The boat leaves at 10 am and heads out to some good fishing spots. You will be returning with bucketloads of capelins.
A guide will help you to prepare the fish which you can then grill and enjoy for lunch.
